On November 23 the Historische Forschungsverein der Deutschen aus
Russland [Historical Research Society for Germans from Russia] gathered
for its general meeting, including elections to the board, at the
Haus der Heimat in Nürnberg.

The society, which was founded on November 20, 1999, exists mainly
because of the engagement of its volunteers, through its members'
willingness to make sacrifices, and from the support of Nürnberg's
Haus der Heimat, which provides the society with space and shows
itself at its best especially for important projects. Almost exclusively,
members of the Society are Germans from Russia now living in Germany.
German is the language spoken at the conference. Most members speak
both German and Russian; a few still find it diffucult to master
the German language, while others must pass on speaking Russian.
The youngest member of the Society, Waldemar Pflug, is twenty- eight
years old, the senior member is Dr. Adolf Bosch, now ninty years
old.

As chairman Anton Bosch reported in his annual report, the Society
is, all in all, not doing badly. One can envy the friends of the
Germans from Russia Historical Research for the publications it
has produced in its first three years despite problems involved
in production and sales, as Bosch indicated: "Our aim is still
the publication of books." He apparently does not place much
stock in the Internet, which, in his opinion, "costs us much
effort, without anything in return."

Relationships with the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland
are good, since most members of the Historical Research Society
are also members of the Landsmannschaft. Without exception, the
entire new board is among the membership of the Landsmsnnschaft.
They are:

-- Folk and traditional clothing of the Germans from Russia
-- History of the Crimea-Germans
-- Documenting the German victims of the Years of Terror, 1937/38
-- Archiving the existing publication inventory
-- Recording of German-Russian school books 1920 -1941
-- Documentation concerning Churches and Institutions of the German-Russians
-- Documentation concerning German-Russian cemeteries

Written by Johann Kampen

Participants at
the annual conference of the Historical Research Society for
Germans from Russia during late autumn, 2002.

Publications Available from the "Historical
Research Society of Germans from Russia":

Wandbildkalender 2003,
including an emigration map and twelve color pictures
of German-Russian personalites.